学生在大辩论中找到自己的声音

一个安静的学生举手表达意见. It’s unquestionably an act of bravery, given that opinions aren’t always shared in class. 但多亏了一个新项目, 跨课程辩论, University of Denver students are increasingly tapping into a tool as old as Socrates—debate.

这不是政治戏剧式的辩论. 这是文明话语的一堂课. 就像 火花, DU’s recently launched annual day devoted to civil discourse 和 freedom of speech, it seeks to expose students to different ideas so they may better form their own.

跨课程辩论 is used in classrooms across campus by teacher invitation. 这个过程包括三个课时——第一个是为学生做准备, the second is the debate itself 和 the third is a debrief session where students discuss what they learned. 它的非竞争性. 没有人会被宣布为赢家.

“It teaches you your conviction should come after thinking, not before,” says 传播学教授达林·希克斯说. The former DU debate coach developed the program, 哪一个 is sponsored in part by 勇敢的天使这是一家致力于政治去极化的非营利组织. 它于2022年秋季首次亮相.

“This is a new program that is working with individual faculty members in their class 和 uses debate as a teaching tool,他说. “I advise faculty members how to have a debate around an issue in their class. We have a really simple model: The essence of debate is two people on opposing sides of an issue.双方逐点陈述自己的观点，然后提出问题.

“The University of Denver believes it is our responsibility to help our students hone the skills needed to engage in meaningful debate or discussion on complex issues,” DU 财政大臣杰里米·海夫纳说. “这是我们在杜四维承诺的全人教育 Experience—和 it’s what will help our students thrive in the long term.”

社会学教授Hava Gordon说, 他是大约40名使用该项目的教员之一, 两次把它纳入她的课堂. “一个问题不只是两个方面,她说。, “但有很多方面值得探索. Debate can be a way students can dialogue an issue 和 not be afraid of disagreeing. It gave them the tools to engage with a different perspective than theirs in a way that exp和s their learning rather than disagreeing with someone who disagrees with them.”

希克斯说，这就是辩论的力量. “最终, we learn what we don’t know yet 和 what we would need to know before we commit to a public policy position.”

Psychology professor Chip Reichardt says that debate can help remedy one of the problems in education, 哪一个, 他说, 经常告诉学生思考什么而不教他们如何思考. 他说他在课堂上领导非正式辩论已经有45年了, but none achieved the results delivered by 跨课程辩论. His students debated an emerging topic that is top of mind for individuals worried about everything from intellectual property to job security: This House believes that artificial intelligence (AI) can never produce work that is as truly creative as the best creative work produced by humans.

With 跨课程辩论, the debate lasts for one class period. 每个学生都必须参加. Students are assigned sides, 和 each must present a point 和 answer questions from classmates. 所有问题都由希克斯负责, 主持人, Reichardt说，这一步骤减少了对抗性的语气. Students signal their approval about what is said by lightly tapping on their desks.

“This type of thing generally leads to really good thinking,” Reichardt says. “This gets students who tend to be quiet talking, 和 after that, they [are] less hesitant to talk. 这是一种结构，但并不令人不愉快. 它吸引人，吸引人，刺激人.”

在戈登的高级研讨会上， 自上而下的全球化， Hicks moderated a debate on the problems globalization presents for democracies.

其中一个参与者是 Falmata Wako, a 21-year-old student with a double major in finance 和 b商业信息和分析. 他来自埃塞俄比亚，现在住在丹佛. “我认为这场辩论很棒。. “这让我批判性地思考我们正在讨论的问题. This was especially true because I was arguing for the side that opposes globalization, even though I initially didn’t necessarily agree with that side of the argument. 辩论结束后, I came out realizing the complexity of the issue 和 that there are pros 和 cons to both sides of the argument. 不过, it was a great opportunity to practice debating skills 和 constructive disagreements with other students.”

Gordon says she wants to bring debate to all her classes because it was such a great experience for students. 一些学生说这是课堂上最好的部分. 我得说这是他们最忙碌的一天. It was a way for students to synthesize their learning up to that point in a way that was way more engaging than a midterm exam or a paper. 他们使所有的课程材料变得生动起来.”

Like Reichardt, she saw normally quiet students begin to speak out, something she didn’t anticipate. “我认为学生们会坚持自己的观点, 但我看到他们的争论在实时演变, 他们想出新的观点来回应其他学生.”

这正合希克斯的意. “If we want to promote the ability for students to engage in a civil manner, 我们得教他们怎么做,他说. “Debate is the single best method we have so they can truly underst和 each other, 和 from that engagement form their own core beliefs 和 figure out how they want to live their lives.”